The Seattle Seahawks signed undrafted rookie cornerback Jordan Washington and released cornerback Brandon Johnson on Wednesday afternoon, the team announced.
According to Yahoo Sports, the official announcement came at 1:45 p.m. PST. The same announcement confirmed the signing of running back T.J. Harden, with outside linebacker Garrett Nelson released in the corresponding move. Harden is expected to serve as a short-term replacement at fullback while Robbie Ouzts recovers from injury.
Washington spent rookie minicamp with the Seahawks after going undrafted out of Stanford. Before Stanford, he spent four years at Dartmouth, giving him two of the top five academic universities in the country on his resume. He attended IMG Academy and JSerra Catholic in Southern California before his college career.
Scouts who have evaluated Washington point to his plus arm length and hand size as positives. However, he lacks the speed and agility to separate from other prospects at the position and does not have a standout athletic trait that evaluators can point to. He also played just 155 snaps in his draft year, leaving limited tape for teams to assess.
Harden followed a different path to Seattle. He ran through Narbonne and Inglewood High School as a three-star recruit before UCLA took a chance on him. He later transferred to SMU before entering the professional ranks.
Both Washington and Harden will need to make a strong impression to secure a spot on the final roster with the defending Super Bowl champions. Neither player enters the situation with a guaranteed role, and competition at their respective positions remains open heading through the preseason.
